THE SILENT TREATMENT: The Alloy Orchestra plays to "From Morning To Midnight" (1920)

“Alloy has brought fresh air to a world thought left to nostalgics. They give voice to the soul of their machines, and by doing that, they’ve given voice to no less than the sound of cinema” — Paolo Cherchi Usai (Co-Director, Pordenone Silent Film Festival)

With their panoply of thrashing, grinding percussion — as well as their keen sense of spooky melody — the three-man musical ensemble Alloy Orchestra (Ken Winokur, Terry Donahue and Mission of Burma’s Roger Miller) is the perfect choice to accompany this nightmarish classic of German Expressionism. Karl-Heinz Martin’s criminally underseen 1920 feature easily stands toe-to-toe with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and tells the shadowy tale of a bank teller trying desperately to escape the spiraling humdrum-iness of his small, dusty life. Awash in contorted sets and high-contrast décor, every banality of “normal life” is here reinvented into an unnerving spectacle: the bank becomes a grim underworld, a hotel staircase becomes an existential crisis, and a family drawing room becomes as loopy as a Slinky. A giddy cornucopia of extreme macabre stylization, this show will ROCK.
Dir. Karl-Heinz Martin, 1920, digital presentation, 72 min.

The Alloy Orchestra plays to "Phantom Of The Opera" (1925)

Chaney in his greatest role!

4/29/2013 - 7:30PM

“The best in the world at accompanying silent films.” — Roger Ebert

“Alloy has brought fresh air to a world thought left to nostalgics. They give voice to the soul of their machines, and by doing that, they’ve given voice to no less than the sound of cinema” — Paolo Cherchi Usai (co-director, Pordenone Silent Film Festival)

Thrashing and grinding soulful music from unlikely sources, the three-man musical ensemble Alloy Orchestra works with an outrageous assemblage of peculiar objects to achieve a brand of silent film accompaniment unmatched by anyone else on the planet. Utilizing their famous “rack of junk”, synthesizers and traditional axes like accordion and clarinet, the group — Ken Winokur, Terry Donahue and Mission of Burma’s Roger Miller — generates beautiful music in a spectacular variety of styles. They can conjure up a French symphony, or a ‘20s German bar band; they can make the audience think it’s being attacked by tigers, contacted by radio signals from Mars, or even swept up in the Russian Revolution! Tonight, witness their peerless score to the 1925 Lon Chaney classic The Phantom Of The Opera — the most iconic role of Chaney’s entire career, and one of the most physically tortured performances in all of silent film.
Dir. Rupert Julian, 1925, 35mm, 78 min. (at 24 fps)

Phase IV (new 35mm print, 4/28)

Seekers of celestial psych cinema need no longer cue up 2001’s “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite” to unlock their third eye; enter the optically luscious, organically abstract and singular universe of one of the 20th century’s greatest artists. Graphic designer/filmmaker Saul Bass’s only feature-length effort is a triumph of visual storytelling that communicates impending sentient insect peril through unparalleled microphotography, sound & art design, abstract architecture and subtle gestures. Using the touchstone of Kubrick’s monolithic freakout as a cinematic challenge, Bass confidently takes up the mantle of smart and strange sci-fi, making Spaceship Earth feel alien and fantastic. Widely underappreciated and guaranteed to be the most stunning theatrical experience you’ll have this year, Bass’ ultra-imaginative journey is a train you’ll immediately want to board. Plus, alongside the Academy Film Archive’s brand-new print, Bass’s original mind-shattering eight-minute finale — trimmed from the 1974 theatrical release, and entirely unseen until discovered in the vaults late last year — will be presented after the screening. This footage is a cornucopia of some of the most truly nuts, experimental optical-printing trickery you’ll ever see. BE THERE.
Dir. Saul Bass, 1974, 84 min. (35mm) + 8 min. (digital presentation)

“Miami Connection has repeatedly destroyed our audience in a more powerful way than anything else in the 15 years of our theater’s existence.” – Zack Carlson, Alamo Drafthouse

There are films that we save for a rainy day — and, baby, it’s fucking pouring! The year is 1987. Motorcycle ninjas tighten their grip on Florida’s narcotics trade, viciously annihilating anyone who dares move in on their turf. Multi-national martial arts rock band Dragon Sound have had enough, and embark on a roundhouse wreck-wave of crime-crushing justice in the streets of Orlando, Florida. Directed by 9th-degree black belt philosopher/author/inspirational speaker Grandmaster Y.K. Kim, Miami Connection is pretty much the most entertaining film you will ever see. EVER. Be there.
Dir. Richard Park, 1987, 90 min.

Watch the trailer for “Miami Connection”!

Phase IV (new 35mm print, 4/27)

Seekers of celestial psych cinema need no longer cue up 2001’s “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite” to unlock their third eye; enter the optically luscious, organically abstract and singular universe of one of the 20th century’s greatest artists. Graphic designer/filmmaker Saul Bass’s only feature-length effort is a triumph of visual storytelling that communicates impending sentient insect peril through unparalleled microphotography, sound & art design, abstract architecture and subtle gestures. Using the touchstone of Kubrick’s monolithic freakout as a cinematic challenge, Bass confidently takes up the mantle of smart and strange sci-fi, making Spaceship Earth feel alien and fantastic. Widely underappreciated and guaranteed to be the most stunning theatrical experience you’ll have this year, Bass’ ultra-imaginative journey is a train you’ll immediately want to board. Plus, alongside the Academy Film Archive’s brand-new print, Bass’s original mind-shattering eight-minute finale — trimmed from the 1974 theatrical release, and entirely unseen until discovered in the vaults late last year — will be presented after the screening. This footage is a cornucopia of some of the most truly nuts, experimental optical-printing trickery you’ll ever see. BE THERE. AFA archivist Sean Savage will be here to introduce the film!
Dir. Saul Bass, 1974, 84 min. (35mm) + 8 min. (digital presentation)

Phase IV (new 35mm print, 4/26)

Seekers of celestial psych cinema need no longer cue up 2001’s “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite” to unlock their third eye; enter the optically luscious, organically abstract and singular universe of one of the 20th century’s greatest artists. Graphic designer/filmmaker Saul Bass’s only feature-length effort is a triumph of visual storytelling that communicates impending sentient insect peril through unparalleled microphotography, sound & art design, abstract architecture and subtle gestures. Using the touchstone of Kubrick’s monolithic freakout as a cinematic challenge, Bass confidently takes up the mantle of smart and strange sci-fi, making Spaceship Earth feel alien and fantastic. Widely underappreciated and guaranteed to be the most stunning theatrical experience you’ll have this year, Bass’ ultra-imaginative journey is a train you’ll immediately want to board. Plus, alongside the Academy Film Archive’s brand-new print, Bass’s original mind-shattering eight-minute finale — trimmed from the 1974 theatrical release, and entirely unseen until discovered in the vaults late last year — will be presented after the screening. This footage is a cornucopia of some of the most truly nuts, experimental optical-printing trickery you’ll ever see. BE THERE.
Dir. Saul Bass, 1974, 84 min. (35mm) + 8 min. (digital presentation)

NILBOG: The World's Only Horror Movie Music Tribute LIVE! + Lucio Fulci's "The Gates Of Hell"

NIlbog returns to Cinefamily!

4/20/2013 - 10:15PM

NILBOG LIVE! – 10:15pm
Nilbog is a horror film score tribute band like no other — because it might be the only one! Featuring some of L.A.’s most dedicated film music lovers (as well as former/current members of Captain Ahab, White Fence, Clipping, Anavan, Monsturo and Rose For Bohdan), Nilbog exists to pay homage to classic soundtrack moments by Goblin, John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, Ennio Morricone and other masters of the form. Utilizing vintage synths and a keen ear for detail, this five-piece band recreates down to the last timbre some of the most beloved and fetishized horror movie themes of the past few decades — and has piles of fun doing it. Tonight, hear them perform tunes from Deep Red, Escape From New York, Phenomena, Dawn of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead, Phantasm and others!

Lucio Fulci’s THE GATES OF HELL – approx. 11:30pm
Maggot storms, vomiting guts, drillbits to the skull, oh my! Following the wild success of Zombie, outrageous Italian horror director Lucio Fulci next splattered blood on American drive-in screens with this 1980 gothic feast of zombies and the supernatural — originally titled City Of The Living Dead, but known to most of its first VHS-reared fans under the catchier title of The Gates of Hell. Thanks to Sergio Salvati’s magnificent cinematography, Gino de Rossi’s skincrawling special effects, and especially Fabio Frizzi’s haunting score, this particular entry in the Fulci canon works up a feverish series of gore-drenched incidents which provide a heavy visceral kick.
Dir. Lucio Fulci, 1980, 35mm, 93 min.

Cheech and Chong's Next Movie

C&C at their most blissfully whacked-out!

4/11/2013 - 10:15PM

Up In Smoke showcased Cheech and Chong’s gift for spacey verbal zingers, but here their gifts for physical humor, seemingly improvised hysterical rock songs and brilliant cinematic non-sequiturs get a solid workout, resulting in what most C&C aficionados consider their funniest and most solid film work. Traditional narrative goes completely out the window as our heroes stumble across the vast network of L.A.’s neighborhoods, from Boyle Heights to Hollywood, through sketches of pissed-off neighbors, ear-shattering biker rock jams, chaotic movie soundstages, space alien coke dealers, barrio thug stand-offs, the first film appearance of Paul Ruebens, and party-crashing jaunts into the realms of the upper class. Next Movie also gives Chong a broad canvas upon which to flex his new directing muscles, as the film features some stealthy examples of his surprisingly kick-ass filmmaking; the extended Jacques Tati-like “welfare office” sequence is a masterful collision of gritty realism, urban paranoia and insane bits of cackling comedy business. Earthier and more blissfully whacked-out than its predecessor, Next Movie brought C&C into the ’80s in grand style.
Dir. Tommy Chong, 1980, 35mm, 99 min.

The ABCs Of Death (encore show!)

26 chapters of rapid-fire freakouts!

4/6/2013 - MIDNITE

From Poe to Lovecraft, from King to Barker, from EC Comics to Night Gallery, some of the best pieces the horror genre has ever offered up have arrived in short form — and herein lies the appeal and power of the mighty anthology film. Inspired by the classic “A-is-for-Apple” children’s book trope, Ant Timpson (New Zealand film archivist/programmer extraordinaire) and Tim League (of Drafthouse Films) have culled together a woolly bunch of 26 favorite genre filmmakers, assigned each of them a letter of the alphabet, and let their twisted minds run wild! These few insane minutes apiece beautifully range wildly in tone, pacing, and scope, as the diverse assortment of directors includes Ti West (The Innkeepers), Ben Wheatley (Kill List), Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes), Adam Wingard & Simon Barrett (You’re Next), Jason Eisener (Hobo With a Shotgun), Jon Schnepp (TV’s Metalocalypse), and even Marvel comic artist Kaare Andrews. You’ll love some, hate others, and likely be offended by at least half of the shorts, leaving The ABCs of Death as one of the most unique and conversation-starting horror experiences to grace theaters in a long, long while. Segment directors Jon Schnepp, Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard will be here in person for a Q&A!
Dirs. too many to mention, 2013, digital presentation, 123 min.

Watch the trailer for “The ABCs Of Death”!

Two-Lane Blacktop (4/6, 9:50pm)

James Taylor, Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates!

4/6/2013 - 9:50PM

Two of the hottest leading men of the seventies — James Taylor, and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys — pit their souped-up Chevy against Warren Oates’ GTO in a cross-country race, with hippie chick runaway Laurie Bird along for the ride, in Monte Hellman’s early-’70s stone classic. Oates gives one of his greatest performances as the self-deluding burn-out in pastel sweaters, with a trunkful of drugs, hooked on the next thrill — and the boys, neither of whom had acted before or have since, are supercool, laconic naturals. The point of it all isn’t who wins, but the getting there, and the making of contact along the way. Yes, it’s an existential metaphor for the human condition, if you want it to be, but it’s also the ultimate American road movie, with a brilliant, near-invisible script by Rudy Wurlitzer, and one of the most incendiary endings in ‘70s cinema. Come see why Two-Lane Blacktop was just added to the National Film Registry — these satisfactions are permanent.
Dir. Monte Hellman, 1971, 35mm, 102 min.

Two-Lane Blacktop (4/5, 10:00pm)

James Taylor, Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates!

4/5/2013 - 10PM

Two of the hottest leading men of the seventies — James Taylor, and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys — pit their souped-up Chevy against Warren Oates’ GTO in a cross-country race, with hippie chick runaway Laurie Bird along for the ride, in Monte Hellman’s early-’70s stone classic. Oates gives one of his greatest performances as the self-deluding burn-out in pastel sweaters, with a trunkful of drugs, hooked on the next thrill — and the boys, neither of whom had acted before or have since, are supercool, laconic naturals. The point of it all isn’t who wins, but the getting there, and the making of contact along the way. Yes, it’s an existential metaphor for the human condition, if you want it to be, but it’s also the ultimate American road movie, with a brilliant, near-invisible script by Rudy Wurlitzer, and one of the most incendiary endings in ‘70s cinema. Come see why Two-Lane Blacktop was just added to the National Film Registry — these satisfactions are permanent.
Dir. Monte Hellman, 1971, 35mm, 102 min.